Photos: Buildings that give us the heebie-jeebies

Handout photo, Wikimedia Commons10.30.2012

1. The Stanley Hotel
The Stanley Hotel is a 140-room neo-Georgian hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. Located within sight of the Rocky Mountain National Park, the Stanley offers panoramic views of the Rockies. It was built by Freelan Oscar Stanley of Stanley Steamer fame and opened on July 4, 1909, catering to the rich and famous. The Stanley Hotel also hosted the horror novelist Stephen King, inspiring him to write The Shining. Many believe the Stanley Hotel is haunted, having reported a number of cases of ghostly activity, primarily in the ballroom. Kitchen staff has reported to have heard a party going on in the ballroom, only to find it empty.

Handout photo
/ Wikimedia Commons

2. The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel
The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel was constructed in 1888 by the Canadian Pacific Railway and is the site of many rumoured hauntings. The mystery of room 873 is perhaps the most captivating: A family was reportedly murdered in this room, and though walls have been built over where the doorway once was, guests still report seeing ghosts of the family. Another rumour is that of the bride who fell down a staircase and broke her neck. The staircase is blocked off, but guests still report seeing a woman wandering the halls in a wedding dress.Handout photo
/ The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel

3. The Amityville Horror
In 1974, Ronald DeFeo, Jr. murdered six family members while they slept in this grand Dutch Colonial home on Long Island, NY. His actions were allegedly at the urging of spirits occupying the house. When the subsequent owners, George and Kathy Lutze, moved in, they could only tolerate 28 days inside before moving out due to strange, supernatural occurrences. That drama inspired the classic film "The Amityville Horror."Handout photo
/ Wikimedia Commons

4. Psycho House and Bates Motel
Not a real house, but a set, the "Psycho House" has become an iconic symbol of eerieness, and has appeared in countless films (including two Psycho sequels), television shows and advertisements. The set still stands on the Universal backlot fifty years later, although modified and twice relocated over the years. The original Bates Motel set no longer exists, but a reconstructed version of the motel has accompanied the home on the backlot and as a part of the studio tour for decades.Handout photo
/ Universal Studios

5. Craigdarroch Castle
This Victoria, B.C. mansion was constructed in the 1890s as a home for coal baron Robert Dunsmuir and family, though Robert died a year before the castle was actually complete. Visitors have reportedly heard whispers close to their ears and seen objects moving in front of their eyes. There have been reports of the castle’s piano playing by itself after visiting hours.Handout photo
/ Craigdarroch Castle

6. Poltergeist House
Perhaps one of the more unassuming “horror houses”, the movie Poltergeist is set in and around the house belonging to the Freeling family. The actual house is located in Simi Valley, California and looks identical to when it was captured on film in 1982.Handout photo
/ Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

7. The Dakota
The Dakota, constructed in the 1880’s is a co-op apartment building located on the northwest corner of 72nd Street and Central Park West in the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The building is widely known as the home of Beatle John Lennon from 1973 to 1980 as well as the location of his murder. In the film Rosemary's Baby, the Dakota is used for exterior shots of "The Bramford," the apartment building where several of the characters live.Handout photo
/ Wikimedia Commons

Photos: Buildings that give us the heebie-jeebies

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